


I'll Show You Later

by AngieFeeshFeesh



Series: SOLDIER Tales [3]
Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Domestic soldier boys are my weakness, I don't know what to tag this as, M/M, One Shot, Sorry Not Sorry, Zack and Cloud are smitten by each other, all they do is lie around and snuggle, this is why Cloud keeps failing his reading tests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23704024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngieFeeshFeesh/pseuds/AngieFeeshFeesh
Summary: Cloud thinks Zack is a little bit of an idiot sometimes. But he's a charming idiot, and Cloud wouldn't trade him for the world.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: SOLDIER Tales [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707139
Comments: 2
Kudos: 83





	I'll Show You Later

**Author's Note:**

> Just some fluffy cutesy nonsense that I wrote up. I hope it eases the pain that FF7R is putting everyone through <:
> 
> Enjoy!

"Hey Cloud, what's your favorite music genre?"

"Hm?"

Zack's voice took Cloud by surprise--to be honest, he'd actually completely forgotten that the raven-haired First was in the room with him. He'd been so absorbed in the playbook he was reading that he'd successfully been able to tune out everything else around him. _Including_ his own boyfriend.

"Oh, shi-- _Sorry!_ Sorry, sorry--" Cloud hurried to sit upright, having been completely kicked back and comfortable ontop of his bed. It took a moment of rooting about his bedsheets to find his keyblade-shaped bookmark, but it was metal and couldn't get very far very fast. It was swiftly located and set in the page he'd stopped reading on. The book was then closed with a _thump_ , and by the time Cloud looked up, it was only to realize that Zack was on the total opposite side of the room. Just standing there, watching him with the _dorkiest_ smile on his face. Judging by the utterly dreamy glint in the elder's mako eyes, Cloud was willing to bet that Zack didn't even realize he was making such a silly face.

Even if that very same face left Cloud with stupid butterflies in his stomach and even _stupider_ heat taking over his cheeks.

He tried to avert his gaze, yet found he couldn't keep himself from still sort of peeking in the First's general direction. "Wh...what?"

It was Zack's turn to be surprised then, as he blinked and straightened up his shoulders. Though, it didn't last very long as he was almost instantly beaming again. "Oh, uh, nothing! Just, uh, just thinkin' 'bout how cute you are when you're readin'."

...As if that would _ever_ help him get his blush under control. Cloud could feel it getting stronger, the heat intensifying as it spread across his whole face. Zack only snickered at him, which Cloud fought to ignore as he brushed his hand through unruly blonde spikes.

"You're _such_ a dweeb," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Except Zack still managed to hear it and made a loud whiny protest in response. Struggling to contain his own smile, and barely succeeding at it, Cloud plopped his book on the nearby nightstand, finally giving his sulky (stupid, adorable) boyfriend his undivided attention. "Well, sorry I zoned out on you."

Hardly in bad spirits, Zack meandered towards the twin-sized bed with the same doofy grin that he always seemed to wear. "S'okay, Chocobo-Head. Whatcha readin' anyway?"

As Zack flopped onto the bed next to him, Cloud glanced over to his hardcover book. Now that his face didn't feel like it was trying to burn itself clean off his head, it was that much easier to focus on the conversation at hand. "Uh, just some old title--it's a classic from Tenebrae. Genesis is making me read it."

When Zack cocked his head sideways and stared at Cloud without speaking, the blonde knew his boyfriend was confused about something he'd said. So although he sighed aloud, Cloud was still able to smile as he grabbed for the book to pass it over. "Here, dummy. Don't lose my place."

At some point having grabbed one of Cloud's pillows, Zack was lying flat on his stomach at the blonde's right. He took the offerred hardcover with one hand, flipping it in all directions before eventually pausing on the front cover. "Huh... I've never even heard of this one. _The Last Oracle?"_ He then swapped to the back cover to scan through the information there. He finished so fast that Cloud honestly didn't think Zack actually _bothered_ to read it, but when he was handing the whole book back a few moments later, he was smiling again.

"Sounds pretty interesting! Maybe I'll borrow it when you're done. I haven't gotten to read any plays in ages."

"Huh?" Once again, it was Cloud's turn to be surprised, blinking as he took the book back slowly. "W...wait, you read? You read _plays?"_

Despite his confusion, Zack laughed pretty loudly. He rolled to one side, hugging Cloud's pillow just underneath his chin. "I really don't get why everyone's so shocked about that!" He cackled, amused to no end. "My Mum was always a huge fan of the theater. Most'a what I know came from her. When I was a kid, she'd read the stories to me at bedtime, and my Pop would always take her to see the shows at the Gold Saucer for their anniversary. So, yeah, that stuff was a big part of my life growin' up."

Cloud realized he was still blinking all the way through Zack's explanation, and by the end when the First was lying there with mako eyes twinkling and the _biggest_ grin on his face, Cloud was positive that if he ever tried to repeat any of this to Genesis, the redhead wouldn't believe him.

Maybe he'd just keep it between him and Zack then.

"I had no idea," Cloud hummed instead, feeling... well, rather affectionate after Zack had shared such fond memories with him. "I'm, like, the total opposite. Never really had an interest before. Ever since Genesis recommended me for Third, though, he's been making me read every play he can think of. You know he tested me on _Loveless?_ _Twice_. I've been so anxious about pop quizzes that I've been treating every title like a _textbook_. It's _insane_."

"S--seriously?" Even though he sounded disbelieving, Zack apparently had zero qualms with laughing his fool head off at Cloud's misfortune. He got his arm smacked for that and was quick to settle down again, but the damage had been done, visible through Cloud's almighty pout. " _Hah--ah--_ aw, Blondie--s-sorry! I know it must suck. I just can't believe you didn't expect something like that. Genesis Rhapsodos is the biggest theater-junkie in Midgar, y'know? Of course he's gonna take that serious while training you!"

Try as he might, Cloud couldn't exactly argue the point. He hadn't known it when he'd accepted Genesis as his mentor, since he hadn't really known Genesis as a person at that time, but anyone with half a brain should have anticipated Genesis' training regiment to be just as heavy on theater appreciation as it was on the actual SOLDIER program.

It was enough of a realization to make Cloud sigh, anyway. "Yeah, yeah. I know that _now_. Genesis believes that the mind and body should be _equal and balanced_ at all times. I guess that's what he's trying to teach me in-between shoving all these plays down my throat."

He allowed himself to fall back on the bed, rolling and shimmying himself around until he was lying on one side facing Zack. The First was still hugging Cloud's pillow, but Cloud didn't exactly mind. He was too busy watching those sky-blue eyes that were watching him in turn.

Ah--until Cloud suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, you were asking a question earlier, weren't you?"

"Huh?" Zack blinked once or twice, casting back to before their conversation had started. Inwardly, Cloud thought it was funny when he could see the exact moment Zack remembered what he needed to. The way his whole face lit up was difficult to miss, after all.

"Oh, yeah! I realized I have no idea what kind of music you like. I'm sort of a classic rock guy, myself, or sometimes I'm really into techno, but my music player's got all kinds of genres 'n titles. So what's your favorite?"

Though a new little smile threatened to form with Zack's ever-contagious excitement towards life in general, Cloud took a moment to consider his answer. His music player had everything from classic rock, to Disney, to Celtic... eventually he shrugged. "I'unno. Metal, probably."

...It was also funny to Cloud that in addition to being able to pick out the exact moment Zack could remember something, he could also see when the gears in Zack's head were starting to short-circuit. Clearly the First hadn't been expecting an answer like that.

"...Metal. Like, _metal?_ Like, super screaming loud metal?"

Cloud shrugged again, the expression Zack wore making him grin. "Actually, I'm more into stuff like viking metal, but yeah, basically. You'd probably like it too if you listen to the right band."

"Huh..." Zack responded dumbly. He seemed downright baffled and that made Cloud burst out laughing. The silly First really did remind him of a puppy--maybe Angeal's nickname for Zack wasn't too far off the mark.

But then Zack interrupted his laughter with a firm nod of his head, and that typical grin returned to his face in no time at all. "Yeah, alright! I'll give it a try! What bands do you listen to? Let's start there!"

If Zack had a tail, surely it'd be wagging a hundred miles per second. His open attitude and ear-to-ear grin were utterly endearing to Cloud, who made short work of scooting closer once he got control over his giggles. Beaming right along with his boyfriend, he tugged on the pillow in Zack's custody until they could share it, having no choice but to settle close together considering that Cloud's Shinra-issued bed was a tiny twin-size to begin with.

"Yeah, I can show you the bands I like," Cloud purred once they were comfortable. "Not right now, though. Later."

"Awww," Zack broke into yet more pitiful whining, even if it was all in jest. "You don't wanna do it now? Isn't metal where you, like, make horns with your fingers or whatever? How does that work?" He started futzing with his hand, wiggling his fingers into odd poses that were... definitely not horns. Possibly a Vulcan salutation, but not horns, and Cloud was thrown into another fit of laughter which he realized was probably Zack's ultimate goal, but he didn't mind. Instead Cloud reached both of his own hands out, laying them on top of Zack's fidgeting one to keep it still.

"It's called _throwing_ horns, you dingbat. And you don't throw them just for funsies. I'll show you that later, too."

Zack immediately whined again, even tossed his head dramatically (or at least as much as he could without falling off the bed.) Likely he would have continued to complain and groan if it weren't for the thought that occurred to him, making those mako eyes once again focus in on Cloud's.

"Well, then whaddya wanna do now, Blondie?"

What did he want to do now...? Cloud chewed thoughtfully on his lip. Glanced down a little, towards Zack's pouting mouth, then back up to the First's sky blue eyes.

Maybe his intentions were obvious... or maybe, despite his childish antics, Zack was more observant than he seemed. But he clearly saw whatever expression was on Cloud's face and his own high energy quickly settled into a quieter thoughtful one. He even tilted his head again.

"Cloud...?"

...He really was adorable. Cloud couldn't stop himself from thinking that as their eyes remained locked. Zack was adorable, and stupid, and hilarious and endearing, and honestly everything Cloud could have ever wanted in a boyfriend. He found it hard to believe that they'd been dating for four and a half months already--it felt like so much longer because they got along so well. Yet by the same token, it scared him to think about how strongly he already felt for the First. Cloud would do _anything_ for Zack, he knew that for a fact, and the feeling was definitely mutual, but was it okay to feel like that so early in their relationship?

"...elloooo? Earth to Cloud?"

Snapped from his thoughts, Cloud blinked himself back to focus. He realized that Zack was still staring at him but now he looked concerned, his forehead creased and eyes firm as he studied Cloud's face carefully.

"Lost ya for a second there, babe," the First murmured gently. He reached a hand up to ghost across the line of Cloud's jaw, a touch that beckoned shivers from the blonde. "What were you thinkin' 'bout?"

Try as he might not to, Cloud leaned his cheek into that feather-light (though deeply calloused, not that he minded) palm on his cheek. He stared into that sky-blue mako-laced gaze, even though it set his heart to racing and made the butterfly colony in his stomach begin to flutter again. Zack wanted to know what he'd been thinking about but there was no way Cloud could put it into words yet. So he let himself smirk instead.

"Just trying to wrap my head around the fact that you actually know how to read, is all."

And just as he'd predicted, Zack released an instant squawk of protest, bursting into one of his typical off-the-wall rants that had Cloud in vicious, laughter-induced stitches in record time.

Yeah. His boyfriend was adorable, and funny, and really endearing. But he was also just a little bit stupid, and Cloud wouldn't trade him for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
